Drive mechanisms used for revolving the belts in prior drives employ a motor connected to the support system for the drive belt. For example, Japanese utility model 60-106250 and Japanese utility model 61-24851, show 1such systems. In the prior art disk players, a pair of endless tractor drive belts transfer a disk between an eject position and a playback position. In these devices, the drive belts are held taut on either side of and parallel to a disk transfer path. A disk inserted between the belts is frictionally engaged by the drive belts at opposite points on its edge and pulled along when the drive belt is revolved. The distance separating the stretched regions of the belts must be roughly equal to the diameter of a disk so that the disk may be inserted between the belts and carried along when the belts are revolved. To avoid interfering with the rotation of the disk when it is played back, the drive belts are separated by distance greater than the disk diameter so as to clear the disk completely.
In the prior art devices, since the belt moves, the motor must move with it. This requires clearance space for a large motor, undesirably limiting the compactness that can be achieved in the disk player. In addition, since the motor must be moved with the drive belt, the drive belt support and movement mechanism must be capable of bearing a greater weight load.